Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel dressed in flowing white attire strikes a pose at the red carpet during an awards ceremony.Reuters

Jessica Biel's attempts to cover up her tummy with a giant scarf during a recent shopping trip to Los Angeles have once again sparked speculations that she might have a bun in the oven.

Biel, who celebrated her second wedding anniversary with husband Justin Timberlake on 19 October, first sparked pregnancy rumours early this month when she was spotted in in Sydney, Australia, sporting what looked like a baby bump.

The couple is yet to react to pregnancy rumours, but her friends told HollywoodLife that the actress was being "extremely private."

"Her friends are waiting for the good news to be confirmed," a source revealed to HollywoodLife. "Jessica is being extremely private right now, but it's no secret that she and Justin have been trying for a while to get pregnant. Jessica is more than ready to become a mom, it's something she wants badly."

Biel has been open about her desire to start a family with Timberlake, and OK magazine's August 11 issue claimed that the couple has reportedly discussed seeing a fertility expert to help speed up the process. At the time it was also reported that the couple's relationship was under strain and Biel believed that a baby would bring them closer.

"They've been trying to conceive for a couple of months now, and she told Justin she's going to see a fertility expert," a source told the magazine, according to HollywoodLife. "She has no problem using technology, if that's what it will take to have a baby and stick this marriage out."

Recently, Timberlake and Biel settled a lawsuit with Heat magazine, after its publishers apologised over false allegations it reported about the state of the couple's marriage.

Meanwhile, the HollywoodLife source added that Biel has expressed a desire to have two children, as she wants her children to express the same bond she shares with her brother.

"Almost all of Jessica's close friends have kids and she's more than ready to join the club. She said that she wants at least two kids because she and her brother are so close. She wants her children to have that sibling bond; she feels it's very important," the source added.